For ten years, we’ve been in partnership with members of the St. Clare’s community in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to provide desperately needed meals to children (and adults whenever possible). Over the years, through incredibly difficult times – an economic embargo, coup d’etat, and hurricanes – the meals have kept flowing.  We received word on Friday, January 15th, that the courageous and devoted cooks and community leaders we work with are safe and that the rectory building where the food program takes place did not collapse.

On Sunday, January 17th , our program liaison, Lavarice Gaudin, arrived via the Dominican Republic with the first truckloads of food and water.  Relief trucks paid for by the What If? Foundation have brought aid to the community regularly ever since.  Lavarice, together with nearly 40 food and education team members from the St. Clare’s community have been distributing this desperately needed food and water to thousands of people daily.

On Monday, January 25th, the food program team started cooking rice and beans out of the rectory kitchen.  Over  3,000 people are receiving these meals daily.  The distribution of canned food and water continues as well.  To see photos, click here.

Each truckload of food and water costs approximately $5,000.  We’re sending six trucks every week, so donations to our Earthquake Relief Fund are critical to help us continue to provide this level of support.

We’ll keep you posted on our relief efforts through our blog,  facebook page, and e-newsletter updates.

Our successful partnership with the St. Clare’s community has always been based on respect, trust, and solidarity. We are committed to doing all we can to provide relief now as we continue to work with our Haitian friends to build a sustainable future.

If you would like to support our efforts, you can either donate through Paypal (on the right of this screen) or mail a check.  Please indicate “earthquake relief” in the memo of your check.  Thank you so much for your support during this difficult time.

To find out more information about how to donate to the What If? Foundation, visit our donate page.

.

.

LATEST UPDATE

Posted on Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Dear Friends,

I’m writing to share with you a link to some extraordinary photos.  They were taken by photojournalist René Merino during his recent trip to Port-au-Prince.  René visited the food program at St. Clare’s, so be sure to look for these pictures towards the bottom of the page.  Click here to go to his photo website.

It’s hard to believe the month of March has arrived and that seven weeks have passed since the January 12th earthquake in Haiti.

I am excited to let you know that our partners at St. Clare’s just launched a special education program for children that takes place every afternoon before the food program meals are served.  With schools closed in Port-au-Prince and no date set for their reopening, this two-hour gathering is treasured by the hundreds of kids who attend.  Members of the education staff are teaching the children songs, providing materials for arts and crafts, and leading group discussions.  Lavarice Gaudin, our earthquake relief coordinator, told me the teachers choose one subject a day to explore with the children.  Topics have included the earthquake and related fears, courage, service to others, life skills and values.  The history of the food program is also shared as Lavarice feels it’s important for the children to know where the meals come from and who is involved in making them happen.  That includes all of you who provide the funding through the What If? Foundation and the extraordinary cooks who work many hours/day in the rectory kitchen.

I continue to be inspired by the vision, resilience, and faith of our partners in Port-au-Prince.  With everything they’ve been through since the earthquake, they have doubled the size of the food program, created educational opportunities to keep students engaged, and have provided an environment of healing, hope, and progress.

Thank you for your continued support through our Tell-A-Friend campaign and all of the other creative ways you are sharing news about our work with others.  Your help with expanding our donor base makes such a difference and will help ensure that the programs we fund can continue into the future as the community of St. Clare’s rebuilds.

Piti piti na rive!  Little by little we will arrive,

Margaret Trost

To read past updates on our relief efforts and news we are hearing, please visit our blog.

________________________________________________________________________________________